Hi! I'm so glad you're here!

My names Molly Francisco! I'm 29 years old,  I'm a mom of 2 boys (4 months and 4 years old), I'm a wife, I'm the baker behind The Salted Honey Bakery, and I was born and raised in Savannah.

I started baking as a form of therapy through my postpartum journey. I had the goal of starting a cookie cart to put outside of my home in Windsor Forest but after researching our zone and city laws, it's unfortunately prohibited.
I'm pushing for this change for all the cottage bakers who can't afford commercial kitchens or a brick and mortar that just want their community to try their sweet treats!

We, the residents and community members of Savannah, respectfully ask the City of Savannah to review and amend its current zoning regulations to allow small, self service farm stands/porch stand operated on a limited scale from residential properties, subject to reasonable guidelines! 

These stands would operate on an honor system basis, allowing our neighbors and community members to purchase locally produced goods without requiring a storefront, or continuous on site business operation.

What  Are We Asking For?

We are asking Savannah to create a clear and reasonable pathway for residents to operate a small, unattended farm stand/cooler cart offering items such as..

Fresh farm eggs
Locally grown produce
Baked goods permitted under Georgia’s cottage-food laws
Fresh flowers
Other locally produced, legally permitted goods!

 The proposed stands would be small in scale and designed to complement residential neighborhoods rather than function as traditional retail businesses!

 This would be a low impact way to support our local cottage bakers and  a self service farm stand is fundamentally different from a traditional commercial brick and mortar! 

There would be:

No employees working at the stand
No indoor retail space
No large-scale customer traffic
No amplified music or entertainment
Limited operating hours
Limited signage
No large deliveries
No significant alteration to the surrounding neighborhood

Customers would  stop by,  grab their items, and leave payment through an honor system payment method such as a cash box or digital payment option.

With appropriate regulations given, these stands could operate quietly and responsibly while giving Savannah residents another way to share and purchase locally produced goods.

Why  Should Savannah Consider This?

Savannah has a strong community of gardeners, farmers, bakers, makers, and small business owners who want to share what they produce locally without a traditional store front as most cannot afford a commercial kitchen or brick and mortar space.

A small farm stand can provide an accessible first step for residents who want to share their yummy cottage law treats with the community without the substantial cost of opening a traditional storefront.

It can also give neighbors access to fresh, locally produced goods close to home.

We believe Savannah can support these small businesses while still protecting neighborhood character.

We Support Reasonable Regulation as we are not asking for unrestricted commercial activity in residential neighborhoods.

We support reasonable guidelines regarding:

• Size and location of the stand
• Hours of operation
• Signage
• Parking and traffic
• Sanitation and food safety
• Types of products permitted
• Property setbacks
• Neighborhood compatibility

A registration or permitting process could also be considered so that the City knows where these stands are located and can establish clear expectations for operators.

Our Request

We respectfully ask the City of Savannah to consider creating an ordinance, zoning exemption, or other legal pathway that would allow small, self-service, honor-system farm stands to operate on appropriate residential properties

Please support a legal pathway for self service, honor-system farm stands in Savannah.